"I try paint what I see with as much clarity and honesty as I can."

Artist Jay Jensen balances realism and imagination in his atmospheric paintings. He has loved drawing since childhood, with fish, sharks, and whales among his earliest inspirations. As a young child, Jay used to beg his father to let him draw on the cardboard inserts that kept his laundered shirts wrinkle-free. After studying printmaking in graduate school, he stepped away from painting for over two decades to focus on family and work. Now in catch-up mode, he is deeply committed to making each painting work exceptionally well. Jay paints in this apartment in Montreal and enjoys the unobstructed views of the skyline and cargo boats on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

In this interview, Jay talks about his inspirations and journey as an artist.

Please tell us about yourself.

I'm an American who has been living in Canada for 40 years. I live a fairly quiet but busy life, juggling a full-time job in marketing, teaching drawing and painting part-time, and painting whenever I can carve out the time. All I can say is that ever since I was a little boy, I always wanted to be an artist. As for other interests, I love music, staying fit, films, and history.

What are you most proud of—whether in art or another part of your life?

I'm happy when I manage to get something right—when a painting actually captures what I saw or felt. The beauty we observe in the world is fleeting. Painting allows the possibility of making a fleeting impression permanent.

Do you have any studio rituals that help you get into a creative flow?

Many people think that painting is fun. It is, but it's not a day at the beach either. It requires complete focus, and when things aren't going well, it can be extremely frustrating; however, when you do achieve a small victory, that's the reward. The ritual, if there is one, is to dive in and start painting. The apprehension of not having a good day usually goes away after a few minutes.

How do you structure your day?

Since I still work full-time, it's more like structuring my week. I get time to paint on the weekends, so I try to make the most of them.

Where do you find inspiration for your art?

I find I'm always thinking about painting. In the car, I look at the landscapes rolling by or the sky and imagine a composition. Watching a movie, in which every scene has been carefully composed, I see paintings. For example, I might study how a face is lit and imagine painting it the way Rembrandt would have. Since I'm primarily a landscape painter, I work from reference photos that I have taken. I would like to do more portraits. I don't think there's any greater test of an artist's skill than portraiture.

Tell us about your evolution as an artist.

I got a BA with a major in art, followed by an MFA in printmaking. Family obligations put my painting career on hiatus for 20 years. When you restart after such a long break, it takes a while before you start to feel that your work has a certain degree of maturity. Now, it's a question of not stopping and trying to develop new and bolder compositions.

How do you decide when an artwork is finished?

You get to the point when you say to yourself, it's as good as it's going to be. No work is ever 100% successful. Letting some time pass helps you keep things in perspective. You see it with fresh eyes, and solutions present themselves for areas that you felt were still weak, or you say to yourself, it isn't that bad after all.

What is the most interesting observation someone has made about your work?

Most responses have been about mood or atmosphere—people mentioning a sense of stillness or a particular quality of light. What I strive for is creating paintings that hold up both from across a room and from close inspection.

Is there an artwork from another artist that has had a significant impact on you

There are many artists whose work I admire—Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velázquez, Sargent, Hopper, Raffael. What they share is an ability to make light itself feel like the subject of the painting.

What’s your favorite museum?

The Met in New York City is my favorite. I remember going there in high school for the first time and being blown away.

Is there anything else you’d like to share to help viewers better understand your work?

I'm just trying to paint what I see with as much clarity and honesty as I can. If the work connects with someone, it's probably because they've seen that same light, stood in similar surroundings, felt that particular quality of time and space. I'm not after anything more complicated than that.

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If you enjoyed this article about Jay Jensen's life and artwork, we recommend reading about Tiffany Blaise's landscape and seascape paintings of Canada.